"Each of us is facing a fateful choice today." Avetik Chalabyan's message from detention

Activist and political prisoner Avetik Chalabyan has sent a message from the "Armavir" penitentiary today, in which, referring to the 32nd anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Armenia, he called on the citizens of the Republic of Armenia to go to the Republic Square at 17:00. His message, in particular, reads:

"Dear compatriots,

Today is the 32nd anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Armenia. This declaration was adopted when the Soviet Union was still standing, but the accelerating process of its disintegration inspired us, Armenians, with confidence that we will finally restore our independent statehood, be able to liberate and unite Artsakh, and build a truly national country, attractive to all Armenians. . We put the best intentions and goals into this piece of land at that moment, and set sail against the waves of the stormy ocean.

After 32 years, the milestone we have reached is controversial. On the one hand, apparently, we have an independent state, on the other hand, its real sovereignty is limited and continues to decrease. On the one hand, we were able to liberate Artsakh with a heroic effort, on the other hand, we could not keep what we liberated, and day by day we continue to lose what we had liberated and built as a result of the destruction of an entire generation. On the one hand, our country is outwardly developing, on the other hand, its population continues to decrease unstoppably, and it has not only become the collective national destination of Armenians but is also losing its national identity before our eyes.

In fact, we are facing the fateful dilemma of our history today. We must today either give new life and meaning to the vision of our independent statehood, or we must come to terms with the grim realization that each passing year will continue to diminish our sovereignty until we return to the subordinate status in which we have lived for centuries. We must either value the highest mission of the nation-state in this last part of the historic homeland, and be prepared to make personal sacrifices to materialize it, or accept that our national mission is exhausted and leave for foreign shores in the hope of gaining scraps of personal security and prosperity.

Each of us is facing a fateful choice today, and it is not easy at all. Each of us must make that choice individually, but also together, helping and inspiring each other. May God protect and strengthen all those who, by their choice, will make the centuries-old dream of Armenians a reality."

Let's remind that a member of the "Unification" movement, former RA Ambassador Edgar Ghazaryan, today, August 23 at 17:00, called a rally in Republic Square. Many public figures responded to Ghazaryan's call and announced that they will be in the square.